After family
goodbyes, two plane rides, and a bus journey through Spanish countryside the 12
member group of CofC students finally made it to our destination: Trujillo,
España! It’s my first time in Europe and only second time out of the US, but so
far it has been amazing. I would have posted this first entry sooner, but I have
been super busy here.
It has been
an overwhelming whirlwind ever since we stepped off the bus. We dove right into
the deep end (talk about emersion!). Greeted by my new Spanish mom, I was whisked
away from any sign of American life and English-speakers. It was definitely nerve
wrecking going off with a stranger that I could barely communicate with but I
was excited to meet new people and see where I would be staying for the next
three months. I live with the nicest family of four, very loving parents, a
chill little brother, and the craziest but cutest little sister. Being the
youngest in my American family, it’s definitely a new experience having younger
siblings but they are so fun. Living with a family, especially one as close and
supportive of each other as this one definitely adds so much to my time here.
After a few days, I felt a little more comfortable around them and was
able to ask questions about words and verb conjugations and about their life in
general. I had never felt dumber than I did during the first week here, though.
I couldn't communicate and whenever anyone asked me a question, I felt like all
the Spanish I had ever learned just left my brain. While I sill struggle a bit, it’s getting better now
for sure.
The food is also really good. A lot
of the other students here seem kinda picky, but I could eat anything, and
everything my padres have cooked so far has been great! I don’t think they
believe me when I say I like their food because I've literally said that every meal.
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| La plaza mayor |
After a long weekend adjusting to
my new surroundings, classes started and boy are they different here than in
the US. I think the cohesion that the group of 12 students have here really
makes the time together in class more comfortable and refreshing. All of the professors
are really nice and understand that this is a different learning experience. They usually
go slower and make sure we really understand the topic they cover. Most of my
classes are literature, which is fine with me because I love reading and
learning. The topics we’ve covered have been really interesting to me too, but
the only negative is the amount of homework. It doesn’t bother me to read, but
having to read old poems and stories in Spanish takes a lot longer to translate
and understand than those in English. I feel kinda bad staying in my room and
reading when I do homework because would rather be talking to my family more and
learning to speak better. They are very family oriented and are always together
so I feel like I’m missing out on some of their culture, but I know I’ll find the
right balance and be able to organize and manage my time eventually.
So much has happened in just two
weeks I feel like I’m leaving so much out, but I will post another entry
filling in some gaps and continue to keep this updated as best I can.
